‘Landmark’ hotel, apartment block to continue Woodstock growth

For the third time in a week, city and development officials have uncloaked large-scale redevelopment plans in and around downtown Woodstock. 

Closest to Woodstock’s historic downtown, city officials announced Friday they’ve signed a letter of intent with Florida-based developer Southern Ventures to build a hotel described as “upscale” and “landmark” directly across the street from the popular Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater, just east of Main Street. 

Hotel space is a needed component for the growing, regional attraction downtown Woodstock has become, per the city. 

Plans call for a six-story, 130-room lodge clad in brick and glass to echo downtown, with stepped-back upper floors and landscape buffers to help preserve scale in Woodstock City Center, according to city officials. Included in the building will be multiple food and beverage operators, 5,000 square feet of event and meeting space, a spa, and ground-floor retail.  

Southern Ventures has wrapped early design work and is in talks with “a major hotel company to select a brand for the property,” per the city. A formal announcement is planned once the deal finalizes. Valor Hospitality Partners has signed on to operate the hotel. 

The hotel project is being privately financed by Southern Ventures, though the Woodstock Downtown Development Authority is investing $2 million for the conference space, as funded by State Hotel-Motel Tax revenue. 

The new hotel will bring “critical amenities like high-quality lodging and conference space that will support our local businesses and attract new visitors, all while being thoughtfully designed to reflect the [district’s] unique history and character,” said Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell in a project announcement. 

Meanwhile, west of downtown Woodstock, Atlanta-based development and real estate investment firm Mesa Capital Partners announced today it has broken ground on an “elevated,” resort-grade apartment community called Sutton Row. 

Sutton Row will take shape on a 9-acre site within the Buice Lake master-planned community where Bell’s Ferry Road meets Hunter Trail Road, roughly five miles west of downtown. 

Plans call for 290 apartments that embrace the area’s natural beauty, a 10-minute drive from both Interstate 75 and I-575, according to developers.

Perks will include a multi-story clubhouse with an onsite market and coffee bar for residents (that's a new one), plus coworking, a yoga studio and spin room, a resort-style pool, and direct access to a planned Cherokee County multi-use trail. The construction forecast calls for leasing to begin in late 2026 and completion in 2027. 

The development team also includes Focus Design Interiors, English & Associates (architect), Tri-Bridge Residential (general contractor), along with Cadence Bank and Atlantic Union Bank (construction financing). 

“With its dynamic growth, quality schools, and expanding job base, there’s an incredible demand for high-quality rental housing [in Woodstock] that both offers luxury and livability,” said Mesa Capital Partners CEO and managing partner Jeff Tucker in a statement. “Sutton Row was designed with that balance in mind—every detail reflects how people actually want to live today.”

The announcements follow news last week that Atlanta-based developer Connolly is moving forward with a Publix-anchored infill project called Woodstock Mill District that’s meant to act as a fresh gateway to downtown from I-575. 

Connolly closed on the 11-acre site Sept. 25 and immediately kicked off construction. Officials with that company opined in a groundbreaking announcement that Woodstock has evolved into one of the Southeast’s best, most vibrant suburban downtowns in recent years.  

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